Oregon issues first recall for tainted recreational marijuana

The Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) announced its first recall of pesticide-tainted recreational cannabis, a situation that underscores the need for reliable record keeping and clear communication about contaminated products.

The commission said in a news release that samples of Blue Magoo cannabis grown by Emerald Wave Estate tested positive for excess levels of pyrethrins, a chrysanthemum-based insecticide that also can be made synthetically.

The tainted cannabis was shipped to a retailer, Buds 4 U in Mapleton, Oregon, before the pesticide test results were recorded in the OLCC’s tracking system, the commission said.

The retailer sold 82.5 grams of the contaminated product to 31 customers between March 8-10 before the store noticed on March 10 the tracking system results showing the marijuana had tested for pesticide residue.

The store immediately halted sales of the product and issued a voluntary recall. No one who used the tainted marijuana has reported any illness, the OLCC stressed.

“The lab changed the status on the Blue Magoo after we purchased it, and this is something that we want to bring attention to (for) the entire industry in order to protect marijuana retailers and the greater public,” store manager Dustin Foskett told The Register-Guard.

This marijuana-analysis snafu is the latest incident involving Oregon’s embattled testing program.

In a precautionary move, Foskett said, Buds 4 U will now wait three to five business days after a marijuana delivery to put that product on sale. Such a delay should allow for any lab changes or pending test results to be cleared, he said.